IN early May of 1955, two per cent of Adver readers kept goldfish, two per cent used Woolworth’s own brand plant seeds and one per cent planned to buy a bike.

We know this because of a leather-bound document in our archives. Put together by our advertising department and printed that August, it contains the results of an extensive survey covering many aspects of readers’ lives.

A total of 1,855 households from among the 41,869 in our circulation area filled in written questionnaires covering everything from their national newspaper buying habits to the domestic appliances they owned.

The result is a word-picture of the Swindon area as post-Second World War economic gloom began to lift. Swindon was in the midst of a population boom, with new homes being built for people relocating from London and elsewhere.

In 1955 the national average weekly wage, depending on which source of information we use now, was between £9 and £10. Of our 1,855 households, 147 chief wage earners were paid £3 or less; 119 from £3 to £5; 477 from £5 to £7 10s (£7.50 in decimal currency); 609 between £7 10s and £10; 201 between £10 and £12 10s and 121 between £12 10s and £17 10s.

A total of 63 earned £17 10s or more and 118 households preferred not to give details.

Nearly half – 48 per cent – of Adver readers lived in terraced houses, while 28 per cent lived in semi-detached homes, 15 per cent in detached houses and a handful in bungalows and shared homes. Just one per cent lived in a block of flats.

Only three per cent had central heating, while 53 per cent had hot and cold running water and 62 per cent had a fitted bath. Three per cent drew all of their water from a well.

Eight per cent of households employed domestic help, with two per cent having at least one full-time servant.

Six out of every 10 homes had at least one pet, with 37 per cent having cats, 27 per cent dogs, 15 per cent birds, three per cent fish, three per cent rabbits and three per cent other creatures. In addition, 22 per cent kept poultry for meat and eggs.

Domestic appliances were becoming more popular, with 14 per cent owning a telephone and 36 per cent a vacuum cleaner. Just seven per cent had a refrigerator, however, and 11 per cent an electric washing machine.

Television ownership and rental stood at 27 per cent, with many people having decided to take the plunge ahead of the Coronation in 1953.

Less than a quarter – 23 per cent – of households had a car, while 60 per cent had a bicycle, seven per cent a motorcycle and two per cent a powered bicycle.

Nine per cent of households still used the relay radio system, which involved radio being piped to subscribers from a central receiving station. Only 24 per cent of households were non-smoking, with 58 per cent having at least one cigarette smoker, three per cent having at least one pipe smoker and 15 per cent having at least one person who was fond of both cigarettes and a pipe.